THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY

VOL. III-APRIL, 1918-No. 2

BENJAMIN BANNEKER, THE NEGRO MATHE- MATICIAN AND ASTRONOMER The cityof Washington. very recently celebrated the 125th annivers.aryof the completionof the surveyand layingout of theF'ederal Territory constituting the District of Colum- bia. This was executedunder the supervision of thefamous Frenchcivil engineer,Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, as thehead of a commissionappointed by GeorgeWashington, thenpresident of theUnited States. Servingas one of the commissioners,sitting in conferencewith themand per- formingan importantpart in themathematical calculations involvedin the survey,was the Negro mathematicianand astronomer,. As theredid not appear to be duringthis celebration any dispositionto give!proper recognitionto the scientificwork done by Banneker,the writerhas thoughtit opportuneto presentin this forma briefreview of Barneker's life so as to revivean interestin him and point out some of this useful man's important achievements. On a previousoccasion the writerundertook to collect somedata withthe same objectin view,and at thattime he addresseda letterto the postmasterat EllicottCity, Mary- land,asking to be put in touchwith some one of theEllicott family,who mightfurnish reliable data on the subject. In thisway, correspondence was establishedwith the fam- ily of Mrs. MarthaEllicott Tyson,of . One of 99 100 JOURNALOF NEGRO HISTORY

her descendants,Mrs. TysonManly, kindly came over from Baltimore,and, calling on the writerat the United States PatentOffice, presented him with a copyof the life of Ban- neker,published in Philadelphiain 1884,and compiledfrom the papers of MarthaEllicott Tyson, who was the daughter of GeorgeEllicott, a memberof thenoted Maryland family, who establishedthe business that developedthe town of Ellicott City. BetweenGeorge Ellicot.t and BenjaminBanneker, Mrs. Tyson says, thereexisted "a special sympathy,"and she furtherrefers to her fatheras " thewarmest friend of that extraordinaryman. '2 Her fatherhad manyof Banneker's manuscripts,from which he intendedto compilea biography of his friend,but his unusuallybusy commerciallife af- fordedhim no leisurein whichto carryout thismuch cher- ished plan. Mrs. Tyson's account,therefore, can be relied upon as comingdirectly from those who, personally know- ing Banneker,and livingin the samecommunity in frequent contactwith him, had preservedaccurate data. from which to publishthe truerecord of his life. On a farmlocated near thePatapsco River, within about ten miles of the city of Baltimore,in the State of Mary- land,on the9th day of November,1731, Benjamin Banneker was born. Various accountsare given of his ancestry. One of his biographersstates that " therewas not a drop of whiteblood in his veins,"' anotherasserts with positive- ness thathis parentsand grandparentswere all nativeAfri- cans.3 In still anothersketch of Banneker'slife, read be- forethe MarylandHistorical Society, on May 1, 1845,it is statedthat " Banneker'smether was the child of natives of Africaso thatto no admixtureof the blood of the white man was he indebtedfor his peculiar and extraordinary abilities."4 ThomasJefferson said tha-tBanneker was the 1 The LeisureHour, 1853, II, p. 54. 2 Tyson,Banneker, The Afric-AmericanAstronomer, p. 10. 3 The AtlanticMonthly, XI, p. 80. 4 In another particular this same sketch differsfrom several others,namely, in locating young Banneker at "an obecure and distant country school" with no mention of the oft-repeated assertion that the school was one attended BENJAMIN BANNEKER 101

" son of a blackman born in Africaand a blackwoman born in the UnitedStates."5 Accordingto Mrs. Tyson's accountBanneker's mother and fatherwere Negroes,but his maternalgrandmother was a whitewoman of Englishbirth, who had been legally marriedto a nativeAfrican. The antecedentcircumstances of thismarriage were so unusualas to justifyspecial men- tion. Mollie Welsh was an English womanof the servant class, employedon a cattle farmin England wherea part of herdaily duty was themilking of thecows. She was one day chargedwith having stolen a pail of milkthat had, in fact,been kicked over by a cow. The chargeseems to have been takenas proved,and in lieu of a severerpunishment she was sentencedto be shippedto America. Being unable to pay forher passage she was sold,on her arrivalin Amer- ica, to a tobaccoplanter on the to serve a termof seven years to pay the cost of her passage from England. At the end of her period of service,this Mollie Welsh,who is describedas " a person of exceedinglyfair complexionand modera.temental piowers," was able to buy a portionof thefarm on whichshe had worked.6 In 1692, by both white andl colored children. The author of the last-mentionedsketch was evidently not sure of these two statements,and therefore did not include them. In fact, he appears not to have been quite sure of the propriety of submittingany sketch at all of this "free man of color" to the distinguished body constitutingthe Maryland Historical Society, for there was a clear note of apology in his opening declaration that "A few words may be necessary to explain why a memoir of a free man of color, formerlya resident of Mary- land, is deemed of sufficientinterest to be presented to the Historical Society. " But he justified his efforton the ground that "no questions relating to our country (are) of more interest than those connected with her colored popula- tion"; that that interest had "acquired an absorbing character"; that the presence of the colored population in States where slavery existed "modified their institutionsin important particulars," and effected"in a greater or less degree the character of the dominant race"; and "for this reason alone," he said, " the memoir of a colored man, who had distinguished himself in an abstruse science, by birth a Marylander, claims consideration from those who have associated to collect and preserve facts and records relating to the men and deeds of the past.' '-J. H. B. Latrobe in Maryland Historical Society Pulblications,I, p. 8. 5 Ford edition of Jefferson's Writings,V, p. 379. 6 In the memoir of Banneker, above mentioned,read before the Maryland 102 JOURNALOF NEGRO HISTORY

she purchasedtwo African slaves froma shipin the Chesa- peake Bay nearAnnapolis. One ofthese slaves namedBan- naky,subsequently Anglicized as Banneker,was the son of an Africanking, and was stolen by slave dealers on the coast of Africa.7 With thesetwo slaves as her assistants, MollieWelsh industriously cultivated her farm for a number of years withsuch gratifying success that she feltimpelled afterwardsto release her two slaves frombondage. The slave Bannekerha.d gained such favor in the eyes of his ownerthat she marriedhim directlyafter releasinghim frombondage, notwithstanding the fact thathis recordfor susta.inedindustry had not equalledthat of his fellowslave, whileserving their owner on herfarm-a factthat was, per- haps due to Banneker'snatural inclinationto indulgehis royalprerogatives. This Bannekeris describedas "a man of muchintelligence and finetemper, with a, very agreeable presence,dignified manner and contemplativehabits."8 Therewere born of thismarriage four children of whom the eldest daughter,Mary, married a native Africanwho had beenpurchased from a slave shipby anotherplanter in her neighborhood.This slave was of a devoutnature, and earlybecame a memberof the Churchof England,receiving at his baptismthe name of Robert. Afterbaptism, Rob- ert's masterset himfree. It was, therefore,as a free,man thathe becamethe husbandof Mary Banneker,whose sur- namehe adoptedfor his own. Four childrenwere born to Robertand Mary Banneker,one boy and threegirls, the eldestbeing Benjamin, the subjectof this sketch. Robert Bannekerhad evidentlyformed some of the habitsof thriftevinced by his mother-in-law,Mollie Welsh, forit is on recordthat in 1737within a fewyears afterre- ceivinghis freedomhe purchaseda farmof 120 acres from HistoricalSociety in 1845, and in anothermemoir of Banneker,read before the same Societyby Mr. J. Saurin Norris,in 1854, the estate purehasedby Mollie Welsh is referredto as "a small farmnear the presentsite of Balti- more," and "purchased at a merelynominal price." See Norris's Memoir, p. 3. 7 Norris'IsMemoir, p. 4; Williams's Historyof the Negro Race, p. 386. 8 Tyson,Bmnneker, p. 10. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 103

RichardGist, paying for it 17,0009p.ounds of tobacco,which in thosedays servedas a legal mediumof exchange. This farm,located on thePatapsco River,within about ten miles of the townof Baltimore,thus became the Bannekerhome- stead. Here it was that youngBenjamin spenthis early years and grew to manhood,assisting his fatherwith the generalwork of the farm. Bannekervery early showeidsigns of precocity,which made himthe special favoriteof his maternalgrandmother who tookdelight in tea.chinghim to the extentof her own limitedmental endowment. She taughthim to studythe Bible, and had him read it to her at regularintervals for thepurpose of traininghim along religious lines of thought. He attendeda smallschool in his neighborhoodwhere a few whiteand coloredchildren were taughtby the same white schoolmaster.Until the cottongin and othermechanical appliancesmade Negroestoo valuable as tools of exploita- tionto be allowedanything sio dangerous as education,there wereto be foundhere and therein the South pioneeredu- cators at the feet of whom eve-nNegroes mightsit and learn.'0 As a boy at schoolyoung Banneker is said to have spent verylittle, if any,of his timein the games and frolicsthat constituteso large a part of the schoollife of the average youth He was unusuallyfond of study,devoting by far the largerpart of his.time to reading,so thatit was said of him that" all his delightwas to diveinto his books." His read- ing, however,did not take a wide range. His limitedre- sources.did not permithim to purchasethe manyworks he desired. What Bannekerlost throughthe lack of a variety of books,however, he triedto makeup forin beinga close observerof everythingaround him. He turnedeverything thathe couldinto a channelof informationand drewupon all possible sourcesto keep himselfposted on the general activitiesof his communityand beyond. In thisway, "he 9 It is elsewheregiven as 7,000,but the earlier recordseems to be the correctone. 10 Atlantic Monthly,XI, p. 81. 104 JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY

becamegradually possessed of a fundof generalknowledge whichit was difficultto findeven among those who were far morefavored by opportunitythan he was."" AlthoughBanneker had by thistime begun to ingratiate himselfinto the favorof the verybest elementin his com- munitysolely throughhis demonstrationof mentalsupe- riority,he did notpermit his unusual popularity and his love of studyto renderhim any less helpfulto his fatherin the cultivationof the farm. He provedhimself to be,just as industriousin farmingas he was diligentin studying. Whenhis fatherdied in 1759,leaving to Benjaminand his mother,as joint heirs,the dwellingin whichthey lived, to- getherwith 72 acres of land,12Benjamin was fullyprepared to assumecontrol of affairson the estate,and makeit yield a comfortableliving for him and his mother. His father had divided the remaining28 acres,of the originalfarm among the three daughterswho also survivedhim. His farmwas said to be one of the bestkept farms in his neigh- borhood. It was,well stocked,containing a select assort- mentof fruittrees, a finelot of cattle,and a speciallysuc- cessfulapiary. Young Banneker'sdiligent reading of the books at his commandserved to develophis mentalpowers rapidly, giv- ing hima retentivememory, correct forms; of speechand a keen power of analysis. This facultygrew largelyout of his special fondnessfor the studyof mathematics,by which he acquired unusual facilityin solvingdifficult problems. He early won the reputationof being the smartestmathe- maticiannot only in his immediateneighborhood but for milesaround. He was oftenseen in themidst of a groupof neighborswhom he constantlyastounded by the rapidity and accuracywith which he would solve the mathematical puzzlesput to him. This caused suchwidespread comment thathe frequentlyreceived from scholars in differentparts of the country,desiring to test his capacity,mathematical 11 Latrobe, Memoir, Maryland Historical Society Publications, I, p. 7. 12 Ibid., I, p. 7. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 105

questions,to all of which,it is said, he respondedpromptly and correctly.13 His close attentionto the studyof mathematicsled him easilyinto the quest of somepractical form by whichto give tangibleexpression to his thought. It is highlyprobable thatthis fact can explainthe facility with which he planned and completedat the age of thirtya clockwhich stands a.s one of the wondersof his day.14 " It is probable," says o;ne," that this was the firstclock of whichevery portion was'made in America;it is certainthat it was as purelyhis own inventionas if none had ever been before. He had 13Bannekerwould frequently,in answeringquestions submitted to him, accompanythe answerswith questions of his own in rhyme. The followingis an exampleof such a questionsubmitted by him to anothernoted mathemati- cian, his friendand neighbor,Mr. GeorgeEllicott: A cooperand Vintnersat downfor a talk, Both being so groggy,that neithercould walk, Says Cooperto Vintner,"I'm the firstof my trade, There's no kind of vessel,but whatI have made, And of any shape,Sir,-just whatyou will,- And of any size, Sir,-from a ton to a gill! I "Then,"I says the Vintner,"you 're the man for me,- Make me a vessel,if we can agree. The top and the bottomdiameter define, To bear that proportionas fifteento nine, Thirty-fiveinches are just whatI crave, No moreand no less, in the depth,will I have; Just thirty-ninegallons this vessel must hold,- Then I will rewardyou withsilver or gold,- Give me yourpromise, my honest old friend?" " I 'll makeit tomorrow,that you may dependI I So the next day the Cooperhis workto discharge, Soon made the new vessel,but made it too large; He took out some staves,which made it too small, And thencursed the vessel,the Vintnerand all. He beat on his breast,"By the Powers!" he swore, He neverwould work at his trade any more. Now myworthy friend, find out, if you can, The vessel's dimensionsand comfortthe man! BENJAMIN BANNEKER. We are indebtedto Benjamin Hallowell,of Alexandria,for the solutionof this problem. The greaterdiameter of Banneker'stub mustbe 24.745 inches; theless diameter14.8476 inches. See MarylandHistorical Society Publications, I, p. 20. 14 The AtlanticMonthly, XI, p. 81. 106 JOURNALOF NEGROHISTORY

seen a watch,but never a clock,such an articlenot being withinfifty miles of him."'15 He completedthis clockwith no othertools thanta pocket knife, and using onlywood as his material. It stoodas a perfectpiece of machinery,and struckthe hours with faultless precision for a periodof 20 years. The successfulcompletion of thisclock attracted to Ban- nekerthe attentionof his entirecommunity, serving as the startingpoint of a morebrilliant career. It was thisdisplay ofmechanical genius which engaged the attention of the Elli- cotts,who had lately moved into his neighborhoodfrom Pennsylvania. They had alreadyheard of the unusualac- complishmentsof thisgifted Negro and lost no timein get- tingin touchwith him, especially since one of the Ellicotts was himselfa mathematicianand astronomerof marked ability.16 The meetingwith the Ellicottswas of signal advantage to Banneker,and ultimatelyproved the turning point in his career. They were of Quaker originand had gone down to Marylandin 1772 in search of a desirablelocation for the establishmentof flourmills. They were evidentlyper- sons of foresight. Being progressive,open-minded and comparativelyfree from the prejudices that were then mostlynative to thesection into which they had moved,they cordiallyreceived Banneker and franklyproclaimed his. tal- ents.17 They did not seemto permitthe differencesof race to erecta singlebarrier between Banneker and themselves inithe ordinaryrun of theirfrequent business intercourse. Whenthe Ellicotts were erecting their mills, the foundation of Ellicott City,they purchased from Banneker's farm a large portionof the provisionsneeded for the workmen. His mother,Mary Banneker,attended to the marketing, bringingpoultry, vegetables, fruit and honeyto theEllicott workmen.18 15 The AtlanticMonthly, XI, p. 81. 1e AtlanticMonthly, XI, p. 82. 17SouthernLiterary Messenger, XXIII, p. 65. 18 Tyson's Bannelker,p. 24. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 107

Banneker'smechanical inclination led him to take un- usual interestin the buildingof the Ellicott Mills, and to make frequentvisits thereto watchthe operationof the machinery.In thecourse of timea storewas builtnear the mills,and it becamethe meeting place of nearlyall thewide- awake and worthwhile people in the community,who would lingertogether to talk of the news of the day. This was the ordinarymeans of news exchangingin, those days when there were no dailies nor bulletinsnor hourly extras. Bannekerwas alwaysa welcomeparticipant in thesegather- ings althoughhe was a man of modestdemeanor, never injectinghimself into the conversation in an unseemlyman- ner. When, however,he permittedhimself to be drawn into discussions,he always expressedhis; views withsuch clearnessand intelligencethat he won the respectof his hearers.'9 The friendshipbetween George Ellicott and Banneker grew strongeras the years wentby, and theircommon in- terestsin mathematicsand naturalscience led to a fellow- ship whichoften brought them together. This interestled GeorgeEllicott to lend Bannekera numberof mathematical books and instrumnts.Among these books were Mayer's Tables, Ferguson's Astronomyand Leadbetter's Lunar Tables. When these books and instrumentswere handed to Bannekerit was Ellicott's intentionto remainthere a whileto give Bannekersome personal instruction in theuse of them,but he was preventedby lack of timefrom carrying out this intention. On calling again on Bannekershortly afterward,to offerhim this instruction,Ellicott was sur- prised to findthat Bannekerhad already discoveredfor himselfthe key to the use of both and was " already ab- sorbedin the contemplationof the new world whichwas thus openedto his view."20 They had literallymade him fixhis gaze on the stars,for the studyof astronomythus becamehis one absorbingpassion. 19Tyson, Banneker, p. 26. 20 J. H. B. Latrobe's Memoir,Maryland Historical Sooiety Publicatiorw, I, p. 8. 108 JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY

He had now nearlycovered his threescore years,and it was no littletribute to his mentalvigor thathe should have determinedat thatage to masterso abstrusea science as astronomy.But by degreeshe gave himselfup to its studywith unusual zeal. His favoritemethod of studying thisscience was to lie out on theground at night,gazing up at theheavens till the early hours of themorning. He then triedto restorehis tiredmind and bodyby sleepingnearly all the nextday. This habitnearly caused him,to fall into disreputeamong his nreighbors,who, ignorant of his plans, accusedhim of becominglazy in his old days. In 1789he had advancedso far withhis plan as to pro- ject a solar eclipse,the calculationof whichhe submitted to his friendGeorge Ellicott. In the studyof thesebooks Bannekerdetected several errorsof calculation,and, writ- ing to his friendEllicott, he made mentionof two of them. On one occasionhe wrote: "It appearsto me thatthe wisest men may at timesbe in error; forinstance, Dr. Fergusoninforms us that,when the sun is within 120 of eithernode at the timeof full,the moonwill be eclipsed; but I findthat, accordingto his methodof projectinga lunar eclipse,there will be noneby the above elements,and yetthe sun is within11? 46' 11" of themoon's ascending node. But themoon, beingin herapogee, prevents the appearance of thiseclipse." And again he wroteEllicott: "Errorsthat ought to be correctedin myastronomical tables are these:2d vol. Leadbetter,p. 204,when anomaly is 4s 300 theequa- tion 30 30' 4" oughtto have been 30 28' 41". In 3 equation,p. 155,the logarithmof his distancefrom 0 oughtto have been 6 in thesecond place fromthe index, instead of 7, thatis, fromthe time thatits anomalyis 38 240 until it is 4s 0?. Acting upon the suggestionof one of his educated friends,Banneker now undertookto extendhis calculations so as; to make an Almanac,then theimost comprehensive mediumof scientificinformation. Banneker continued the work requiredto, complete his almanac,and finishedthe BENJAMIN BANNEKER 109

firstone to coverthe year 1792,when he was sixty-oneyears old. This attractedtoi him a numberof prominentmen, among whomwas Mr. James McHenry,of Baltimore,a memberof John Adams 's cabinet. This gentleman,through his high regard for Banneker's achievements,had his almanac publishedby the firmof Goddard and Angell of Baltimore. In his letterto thisfirm McHenry paid a fine tributeto the characterof the author,although some of his statementsas to Banneker's parentage;do not har- monizewith what appears to the writeras more reliable informationfrom another source. McHenrylaid special stressupon the fact that Banneker's work, in the preparation of his almanac," was begunand finishedwithout the least informationor assistance fromany person,or fromany otherbooks, " thanthose he had obtainedfrom Mr. Ellicott, "so thatwhatever merit is attachedto his presentperform- ance is exelusivelyand peculiarlyhis own." '21 That Mr. McHenryattached a widersignificance to Ban- neker's attainmentsthan is impliedin a merelypersonal achievementis shownin his statementthat he considered " thisnegro as a freshproof that the powersof the mind are disconnectedwith the color of the skin, or, in other words,a strikingcontradiction to Mr. Hume's doctrine,that the negroes are naturallyinferior to the whites,and un- susceptibleof attainmentsin artsand sciences?" " In every civilizedcountry," said he, "we shall findthousands of whites,liberally educated and whohave enjoyedgreater op- portunitiesfor instruction than this negro, (who are) his in- feriorsin thoseintellectual acquirements and capacitiesthat formthe mostcharacteristic features in the humanrace.22 But the systemthat would assign to thesedegraded blacks an origindifferent from the whites,if it is not readyto be desertedby philosophers,must be relinquishedas similar instancesmultiply; and that such mustfrequently happen, cannotbe doubted,shoudd no checkimpede the progressof 21 Atlantic Monthly, XI, p. 82. 22 Tyson, Bannek?er,p. 51. 110 JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY

humanity,which, ameliorating the conditionsof slavery, necessarilyleads to its finalextinction.."23 Referringto theirattitude, the publisherssaid in their editorialnotice that " theyfelt gratified in the opportunity of presentingto the.public, through their press, an accurate Ephemerisfor the year 1792, calculated by a sable descend- ant of Africa." They flatterthemselves " that a philan- thropicpublic, in this enlightenedera, will be inducedto give theirpatronage and supportto thisiwork, not onlyon accountof its intrinsicmerit (it havingmet the approbation of severalof the mostdistinguished astronomers of Amer- ica, particularlythe celebratedMr. Rittenhouse),but from similarmotives to thosewhich induced the editorsto give thiscalculation the preference, the ardentdesire of drawing modestmerit from obscurity and controvertingthe long es- tablishedilliberal prejudice against the blacks."24 Bannekerhad himselfnot lost sightof the probableef- fectof his workin reshapingto someextent the public esti- mate concerningthe intellectualcapacity of his race. And this was the thoughtthat promptedhim to send a manu- scriptcopy of his firstalmanac to Thomas Jefferson,then Secretaryof State in Washington'scabinet. In his letterto Jefferson,dated August 19, 1791, Banneker made, with char- acteristicmodesty, a polite apologyfor the " liberty" he tookin addressingone of such" distinguishedand dignified station," and thenproceeded to make a strongappeal for the exerciseof a more liberal attitudetowards his down- troddenrace, using his own achievementsas a proof that the " train of absurd and false ideas and opinionswhich so generallyprevails with respect to the Negroshould now be eradicated." 26 23 Mr. McHIenrywas not only one of the most prominentmen of Balti- more,but was severaltimes honored with positions of trust. He was Senator fromMaryland in 1781; and as one of the Commissionersto framethe Con- stitutionof the United States, he signed that instrumentin 1787. He was also a memberof the cabinetof PresidentJohn Adams as Secretaryof War in 1797.-Tyson,Banneker, pp. 50, 51, 52. 24 MarylandHistorical Society Publications, I, 1844-48,I, p. 79. 28A copy of Banneker'sletter to ThomasJefferson and the statesman's replywere published in the JOURNALOF NEGRoHISTORY, III, p. 69. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 111 Thomas Jeffersontook note of the moral courage and the loyaltyto race evidentthroughout the whole of Ban- neker's remarkableletter and he honoredit withthe most courteousreply, under date of August 30, 1791. After thankingBanneker for the letterand the almanac accom- panyingit, Jefferson expressed the pleasure it affordedhim to see such proofs " that nature has given to our black brethrentalents equal to those of the othercolors of men, and thatthe appearance of a wantof themis owingonly to the degraded conditionof theirexistence both in Africa and America.." He also added thathe desired",ardently to see a good systemcommenced for raisingthe condition bothof theirbod-y and mindto whatit oughtto be." The copy sent to Jeffersonwas formallytransmitted to M. de Condorcet,secretary of the Academyof Sciences a,tParis, and memberof the PhilanthropicSociety because, as, he said,he " consideredit a documentto whichyour whole race had a rightfor its justificationagainst the doubtswhich have been entertainedof them."IThis recognitionof Ban- neker's meritvery naturallyadded greatlyto his rapidly growingreputation at home,and broughtto himhundreds of lettersof congratulationfrom scholarly men throughout the civilizedworld. The mostdistinguished honor that came to himfrom his own countrymenwas the invitationto servewith the com- missionappointed by PresidentWashington to definethe boundaryline and lay out the streetsof the F'ederal Ter- ritory,later called the Districtof Columbia. This commis- sion,was appointedby Washington,in 1789,and was com- posedof David Stuart,Daniel Carroll,Thomas Johnson, An- drewEllicott and Major PierreCharles L'Enfant, a famous French engineer. This personnelwas given in the article on BenjaminBanneker by JohnR. Slatteryin the Catholic World in 1883,27but in the WashingtonEveniig Star of October15, 1916,reporting an addressby Fred Woodward, the commissionwas said to consistof " Major L'Enfant, AndrewEllicott, Count de Graff,Isaac Roberdeau,William 27 Catholic World, XXXVIII, December,1883. 112 JOURNALOF NEGROHISTORY

King, Nicholas King, and Benjamin Banneker, a free Negro."28 It is on recordthat it was at the suggestionof his friend,Major AndrewEllicott, who so thoroughlyap- preciated the value of his scientificattainments, that ThomasJefferson nominated Banneker and Washingtonap- pointedhim a memberof the commission. In the George- townWeekly Ledger, of March 12, 1791,reference is made to the arrival at that port of Ellicott and L'Enfant, who were accompaniedby "Benjamin Banneker,an Ethiopian whose abilitiesas surveyorand astronomeralready prove thatMr. Jefferson'sconcluding that that race of menwere void of mentalendowment was withoutfoundation. 29 Speakingafterwards of his workwith this commission, Bannekerreferred to the unfailingkindness and courtesy of the distinguishedcompany in whichhe foundhimself. One of his biographerssays that the deportmentof the mathematicianduring this engagement was suchas to secure for him the respectand admirationof the commissioners. His strikingsuperiority over all other men of his race whomthey had metled themto disregardall prejudicesof caste.30 Duringthe stay of the commissionersat theiroffi- cial quarters,Banneker was invited,of course,to eat at the same table withthem just as he sat withthem during the conferences. This invitation,however, he declined,and provisionwas then,at his request,made for servinghis mealsat a separatetable but in the samedining room and at the same houras the otherswere served. The reasonsifor Banneker's refusal to accept this invi- tation,however, are not so clear. Various of his biogra- phers have attributedhis action on this occasionto what theyseemed pleased to termhis " nativemodesty. " Judg- ing it at this distancefrom the timeof its occurrence,it is perhapsdifficult to understandfully his motive. But if we view it in the light of the consistentwisdom and high- mindednessthat seemed to guidehis wholelife we can hope 28 WashingtonStar, October15, 1916. 29 GeorgetownWeekly Ledger, March 12, 1791. 30 Tyson, Baonneker,p. 37. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 113 thathis reasonsfor the self-imposedcoventry on thatocca- sion were sufficientunto himself,and that they fullyex- cludedevery element of servility. Banneker'swork with this commissionwas undertaken whilehe was,still engaged in astronomicalinvestigation, and afterhis servicesin Washingtonwere concluded he returned to his homeand resumedhis workon his almanacs,which regularlyappeared until 1802. He was;now living alone in thehome left him by his parents,and performedfor himself nearlyall the domesticservices required for his healthand comfort. Still obligedto relymainly upon his farmfor his livelihood,he triedvarious expedients with different tenants to rid himselfof the necessityfor givingso muchof his timeto thefarm. In theseefforts he was whollyunsuccess- ful. He finallydecided, therefore, to enterinto such an ar- rangementin thedisposition of his effectsas wouldprovide him an annuity,relieving himself of all anxietyfor his maintenanceand at the same timeaffording him the leisure he wantedfor study. This he was enabledto do througha contractwith one of the Ellicotts,by the termsof whichhis friendwas to take the titleto Banneker'sproperty, making the latter an annual allowance of 12 pounds for a given period of time calculatedby Bannekerto be the span of years he could reasonablybe expectedto live. Banneker was to continueto occupyand use the propertyduring his life, after which the possession was to go to Ellicott.31 Bannekerlived, however, eight years longer than he thought he would,but Ellicott faithfullylived up to this contract. This miscalculationis said to have been the onlymistake i'n mathematicsBanneker ever made. With his domesticaf- fairs settledto his satisfaction,and havingnow the desired leisureto continuehis studies,he gave himselfup whollyto thatobject. His activemind now foundtime also for occasionaldi- versionto otherlines than mathematics. It was about this timethat he made the calculationsshowing that the locust plague was recurrentin cyclesof 17 years each. He also 31 Tyson,Banneker, pp. 70-71. 114 JOURNALOF NEGROHISTORY

wrotea dissertationon bees whichhas been favorablycom- pared witha similarcontribution by Pliny on the same sub- ject writtennearly 1800 years earlier. Banneker'snature seemedtuned also to the softernotes in the song of life. He lovedmusic, and often,as a relaxation,he wouldsit be- neath a huge chestnuttree near his house and beguilethe hoursby playingon his fluteor violin.32 The disastrouswar wagedin 1793so disturbedBanneker thathe devotedmuch time to the studyof thebest methods to promotepeace. To thisend he suggestedthat the United States Governmentestablish a departmentin thePresident's cabinetto be in chargeof a Secretaryof Peace. He then made a strongappeal to the authoritiesof his government to take a broad standbased on humanityand justice and in that spiritto formulatea comprehensiveplan by whichA LastingPeace33 might be substitutedfor the wars thatwere thendisturbing the world. During theseyears his homewas frequentlyvisited by people who soughthim because of his intellectualgifts, and whowere in no wise abashed by the factof his racialconnec- tion. To themhe was merelyan honoredcitizen in thefield of achievement.34" During the whole of his long life," .says BenjaminEllicott, "he livedrespectably and muchesteemed by all whobecame acquainted with him, but moreespecially by thosewho could fullyappreciate his genius and the ex- tent of his acquirements.Although his mode of life was regularand extremelyretired,-living alone, having never married,cooking his own victuals and washinghis own clothes,and scarcelyever being absent fromhome,-yet there was nothingmisanthropic in his character; for a gentlemanwho knewhim thus speaks of him: 'I recollect himwell. He was a brave-lookingpleasant man, with some- thingvery noble in his appearance.' His mind was evi- dentlymuch engrossed in his calculations!;but he was glad to receivethe visits which we oftenpaid him." 32 Tyson, Banneker, pp. 35-60. 83 Records of the Columbia Historical Society, XX, pp. 117-119. 84 The Atlantic Monthly, XI, p. 84. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 115

Anotherwrites: " WhenI was a boyI becamevery much interestedin him,as his mannerswere those of a perfect gentleman:kind, generous,hospitable, humane, dignified, and pleasing,abounding in informationon all the various subjectsand incidentsof the day, very modestand unas- suming,and delightingin societyat his ownhouse. I have seen him frequently.His head was coveredwith a thick suit of whitehair, which gave hima verydignified and ven- erable appearance.. His dress was uniformlyof superfine broadcloth,made in theold styleof a plaincoat, with straight collar and long waistcoat,and a broad-brimmedhat. His color was not jet-black,but decidedlynegro. In size and personalappearance, the statueof Franklinat the Library of Philadelphia,as seenfrom the street, is a perfectlikeness of him. Go to his housewhen you would,either by day or night,there was constantlystanding in the middleof the floora large table coveredwith books and papers. As he was an eminentmathematician, he was constantlyin corre- spondencewith other mathematicians in this country,with whomthere was an interchangeof questionsof difficultsolu- tion."35 Mrs. Tysondescribes the courtliness of his mannerwhen receivingfriendly visits from the ladies of his community, who delightedto call on him in his:neat cottage,to have the pleasure of his rare conversation. On these occasions he would sometimesallude to his love of the studyof as- tronomyas quiteunsuited to a manof his class.36 In the earlieryears of his life Bannekeris said to have formedthe " social drink" habit,which we can imaginewas all the easier for a man!of his agreeablemanners, in an environmentwhere hospitality was general,and in a day whencordiality usually expresseditself in thatway. But to thecredit of his strengthof mindand will,it is also said thathe actuallyovercame that habit by themere determina- tionthat he woulddo it,and thaton his returnfrom his stay withthe commissionat Washingtonhe is said to have de- 85 Tyson, Banneker,p. 31. 36 Ibid., p. 31. 116 JOURNiALOF NEGROHISTORY

clared ratherproudly that he never partookonce of the winesthat were so freelyoffered him.37 Bannekerwas not a professingChristian and not an adherentof any church,but "he loved the doctrinesand mode of worshipof the Society of Friends, and was fre- quentlyat theirmeetings." A contemporarysays: "We have seen Bannekerin Elkridgemeeting house, where he always sat on the formnearest the door, his head uncov- ered. His ampleforehead, white hair and reverentdeport- mentgave him a veryvenerable appearance, as he leaned on the long staff(which he always carried with him) in quiet contemplation." 38 There was no blemishin the entirerecord of his singu- larly active and usefullife. His whole span of years ap- pears to have been spentwith a consciencevoid of offense, and he approachedthe end witha serenenessof mindwell befittingthe high ideals set beforehim. Althoughhis body never wanderedfar fromthe place of his birth,his mind was permittedto soar throughall space and to dwellin the regionsof the stars and the planets. We can neverknow how sorelyhis finerspirit grieved over the tribulationsthat besethis bloodkinsmen in thedays of theirbondage in this land of theirbirth, but we can well believethat in the lofti- ness of his soul he dreamedthe dream of theirultimate release. As theshadows gathered about him towards the evening of his life he abandonedthose pursuitsthat had brought himmerited distinction, and had gainedfor him the admira- tionof a hostof friendschiefly among people that the world called superior. One beautifulSabbath afternoon,in the monthof October,1806,39 while quietly resting in the shade of a treebeside his cottageon thebrow of a hill thatover- looked the Patapsco Valley he seemedto hear the voices that beckonedhim to the otherworld. And as if stirred by somesudden impulse he rose and made an effortto walk 87 CatholicWorld, XVIII, p. 354. 38 Norris'sMemoir, Maryland Historical Society Publications, II, p. 75. 39Federal Gazetteand BaltimoreDaily Advertiser,October 28, 18O06. BENJAMIN BANNEKER 117

once morealong the paths thathad so oftenbeen his quiet retreiatin themoments of his deepireflection.s. He had not gone far,when his strengthgave way,and he sank helpless to the ground. He was assisted back to his home by a friendlyneighbor, but the noon of his day having fully mergedinto the evening, the darkshadows of EternalNight settledover him. Directlyafter Ba.nneker's death, in fact,on that very day,his sisters,Minta Black and Mollie Morton,undertook to carry out his wishes with respectto the dispositionto be made ofhis personaleffects. Bannekerhad, a fewyears before,directed that " all the articleswhich had been pre- sentedto him by George Ellicott,consisting of his books and mathematicalinstruments, and the table on whichhe made his calculationsshould be returnedas soon as he shoulddie."40 He also requestedthat " as an acknowledg- mentof a debt of gratitudefor Ellicott's long-continued kindnesshe shouldbe given a volumeof the manuscripts containingall his almanacs,his observationson varioussub- jects,his letterto ThomasJefferson, and the replyof that statesman." All therest thathe possessedwas leftto the two sisters. It was due to the faithfulexecution of his wisheson the veryday of his deaththat his valuablemianu- scriptswere preservedat all. They were all carried to GeorgeEllicott, and this circumstancewas the firstnotice that Ellicott receivedof the passing away of his friend. " Banneker'sfuneral took place two days afterward,and while the ceremonieswere in progress at his grave, his hometook fire and burnedso rapidlythat nothing could be saved."'41 Some timebefore his deathBanneker gave to one of his sistersthe featherbed on whichhe usually slept,and this she preservedas her only keepsake of him. Years after wards she had occasionto ope:nthe bed and, feelingsome- thinghard amongthe feathers, she discoveredthat it was a purse of money. This circumstanceshows that Banneker 40 Norris's Memoir,Maryland Historical Society Publications, II, p. 64. 41 Ibid., II, p. 73. 118 JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY

was not "in the eveningof his life overshadowedby ex- tremepoverty."42 In an excellentpaper read on April 18, 1916,before the ColumbiaHistorical Society of Washington,by Mr. P. Lee Phillips,of the Libraryof Congress,Banneker's Almanac, was comparedwith Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. Mr. Phillipsalso referredto his effortsin behalf of peace and to the friendshipthat existedbetween Ban- nekerand such distinguishedmen of his timeas Washing- ton and Jefferson.He closedhis articleon Bannekerwith the broad-minldeddeclaration that " Maryland should in some mannerhonor the memoryof this distinguishedciti- zen, who, notwithstandingthe race prejudice of the time, rose to eminencein scientificattainments, the study of which at that early date was almost unknown."43 The recognitionof Douglass in Rochesterand Boston,Pushkin in Petrograd and Moscow and Dumas in Paris, affords splendidsuggestions of what we hope to see of Banneker in Baltimore. It is a sad reflectionon the people of this countrythat practically nothing has beendone to honorthis distinguishedman. HENRY E. BAKER ASSISTANT EXAMINER, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

42 Tyson,Banneker, p. 72. 43Records of the ColumbiaHistorical Society, XX, pp. 119-120.